LIFE IS GOOD. WE SERVE AN AWESOME GOD & HE HAS BLESSED US BEYOND ANYTHING WE COULD EVER EXPECT.

4/9 – 4/15/2014:   Two things to note: First:  I am from Florida so I have lived with flying bugs all my life but nothing like we have seen in GA and SC. We are so glad we have an enclosed pilot house with screens on the windows. Smart move. Second: Low tide in GA & SC in some cases means very little water. Beware of traveling on low tide.

4/14/14: It was a good day to cruise but the weather forecast called for afternoon high winds with gust to 25K-30K. So we docked at the Harborwalk Marina, Georgetown, S.C.The Harborwalk Marina is about a block from the historical downtown section. Easy walk to shops and restaurants. Four other Looper boats came so we got to visit and meet more Loopers.

Floating dock at Harbortown Marina, Georgetown, S.C.

4/13/14: After 50NM the anchorages we had picked just didn’t look that good. So we docked at Leland Fuel Dock in  McClellanville, S.C  . We found nice floating docks and southern hospitality. The Dockmaster gave us a ride to the restaurant (only one in town). As we were walking back a couple came by on a golf cart & offered us a ride back to the marina.

Dockmaster Station

Downtown  McClellanville, S.C

4/12/14: We forged ahead on the ICW covering 65NM. We anchored at a known anchorage called Church Creek. Calm night with 5 other boats around us.

As they say the ICW gives and it takes. In a single days travel you will catch the current & tide in your favor, then it will turn on you.  The low tides in George and South Carolina are something to be aware of and travel plans must be made accordingly.

High Tide - Looks like a wide river but not true.

Low Tide - BEWARE

 4/11/14:  We got a late afternoon start from the marina so we only went 19 NM to an anchorage north of Hilton Head.

Sunrise on Anchor North of Hilton Head

4/10/14: After our peaceful night on anchor we pulled up anchor & headed out. Only to discover one of our propeller shifts wasn’t working. WHAT!!! I have said it once & will continue to say it… Boats, you go to sleep everything working fine, you wake up something is broken! Thanking God we were insight of the Thunderbolt Marina & our friend Kaye & Al were there. We managed to get into the marina on an outside dock (thanking God again for that) to assess the situation.

After sending a diver into the water we discovered we had snagged a crab pot. The entire thing was attached to our shaft. Apparently when we backed up on anchor to set the anchor it wrapped itself around our shaft.  The diver was able to get the pot off and Thunderbolt Marina staff checked out our shafts. No major issues.

We spent the night at Thunderbolt Marina which gave us the chance to visit with Kaye & Al. The perk, every morning Thunderbolt Marina delivers ½ dozen Krispy Kreme donuts to your boat. Ours were still hot when we got them. Yum.

Thunderbolt Marina, Thunderbolt, GA

4/9/14: After leaving Darien, Ga we continued north on the ICW. We traveled 49 NM (nautical miles) and anchored near the Thunderbolt Marina in Thunderbold, Ga. Our friends Kaye & Al, Knot Home pulled into the marina. It was a quiet and peaceful night.

Thunderbolt Anchorage Sunset

4/9/14: We left Darien, GA docks this morning heading north. The weather forced us to stay longer than we expected but we have no complaints. What a gem this place was. The town was buzzing as they made preparations for their yearly “Blessing of the Fleet” event.

As I said in my previous blog we recommend this as a “must stop” for all boaters.

Kaye & Al on Knot Home joined us and as always we had a blast. 

Our last night at the Darien, Ga docks.

Jellyball! If you stay here you will know what I mean.

4/5/14: After leaving Fernandina Beach we had planned on anchoring out but the weather sent us seeking a marina. As always God provided us the perfect place to dock.  The city of Darien, Georgia offers free dockage with free electricity & water. In the boating world that is certainly a gem. Located 7 NM west of the ICW the city is small, population about 1800 people & is Georgia's second oldest city, founded in 1736.

We had read on other Loopers blogs about finding hidden places that turned out to be gems and this is certainly one of them. If you have to time this should be one of those "must stop" place. 

We were happy to see floating docks especially since they have an 8’ tide.

The approach to the dock is lined with shrimp boats. The dockmaster, David, told us the story of how the shrimp boats have turned into jellyball boats. Jellyballs are actually cannonball jellyfish found in the warm coastal waters of the SE United States.

The Georgia shrimp industry fell on hard times & some had to turn to jellyfish to make a living. The jellyballs they once discarded are now valued for export to Asian countries that consider jellyfish a delicacy. Jellyball fishing is Georgia’s third largest commercial fishery - after shrimp and crabs - but only five boats are permitted to catch them. That’s because the processing plant can handle only about 22,000 thousand kilos of jellyfish - one boat load - at a time, and there are no other processors. 

The jellyfish are dried, preserved and packaged before being sold to a seafood distributor that ships them to Japan, China, and Thailand. There, dried jellyfish are a delicacy, used in soups and salads. Jellyfish is considered a powerful health food because of their collagen-rich tissues -- believed to help alleviate arthritis, gout and high blood pressure.

4/4/14: After a restful night at the Landing in Jacksonville we docked at the Fernandina Harbor Marina in Fernandina Beach, Fl. The outside floating dock is perfect for a quick in & out. The downtown area has specialty shops & restaurants within a block of the marina.

Sunrise at Fernandina Harbor Marina

Heading north from Fernandina Beach, Florida we passed by Fort St. Andrews on Cumberland Island. We did not visit the island but some friends of our anchored near the island and spent the day exploring. They gave the experience rave reviews.

We passed by the Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay which is the east coast home to Trident nuclear powered submarines. 

Structure the submarines pull into.

Escorts for the submarines

A small security tug patrols the waters to make sure no one accidently strays into the base.

The ICW north of Fernandina Beach is mainly a flat open area with sea grass which offers little wind protection. 

4/2/14: We left our home port this morning at 10:45 am beginning the northern track of our Great Loop adventure. Our first stop will be at the Jacksonville Landing for a Sturm kick-off party tonight with Wayne & Winnie on Blue Max, and Laurel & Tom from Holland Marine.

This has been a long anticipated & well planned adventure. After looking at hundreds of boats we bought a 2000 Great Harbour GH37 in January 2013, after the retro-fit we launched her in May 2013 & spent several months exploring the St. Johns River. After spending the winter in the Florida Keys we returned to Green Cove Springs & made final preparations for our Great Loop adventure.

Our adventure was made possible by some awesome businesses. In the boating world there are unethical as well as ethical businesses just like everywhere. We had dealings with both kinds. Praising God, He sent us some very special business people to help make our dream possible. So a shout-out to those great businesses:

• ·         Tom Holland with Holland Marine in Green Cove Springs, Florida, a top notch professional boat yard. His employees are experts in their fields and do exceptional work in a timely fashion. We had Toms team do major work for us: bottom paint job, installed new Teak/Holly flooring, etc. and all work was flawless.

• ·         Dave with ACM Electronic, Jacksonville, Florida. Dave has superior knowledge of marine electronics. We had originally had all new electronics installed: glass helm, AIS, Auto Pilot, marine computer, depth finder, etc by a less than ethical business. Who Knew? After months of trying to get the electronics to work with no help from the original installer we located ACM Electronics. Dave came onboard & within a couple of hours was able to identify the problems. The original installer sold us old stuff as new & had even failed to hook-up some of the electronics. So we found ourselves paying for electronics & installation a second time. Expensive lesson learned. Dave installed the new (yes really new stuff in the original boxes, with warranty cards, etc.) electronics & everything worked as guaranteed.  He even met us at different marinas along the ICW as our “wish list” of electronics grew. Need electronics call ACM Electronics.

• ·         The Canvas & Upholstery Shop, St. Augustine Florida. We used this company for new salon & helm seating, aft deck enclosures,& upper deck mesh. Affordable, excellent work, & on-time. Now that’s hard to find in a Canvas shop.

• ·         Coral Bay Marina, Islamorada, Florida. While in Islamorada we needed work done. After our previous experience with the unethical business we were as they say ‘gun shy’ to trust a boat yard other than Holland Marine. But miles away from Green Cove we were forced to use Coral Bay. Excellent choice of boat yards. Top notch work & reasonably priced for the being in the Keys. Sue the Dockmaster is the best.

Great Loop here we come!

On 3/11/14 we arrived back at our home port, Green Cove Springs, Florida. Since leaving on 11/6/13, a 125 day adventure, we:

• ·         traveled 965 nautical miles
• ·         went through 6 locks
• ·         crossed under 115+ bridges
• ·         encountered gale force winds
• ·         anchored in secluded areas with no cell reception & in areas surrounded by multi-million dollar homes
• ·         navigated the:

o   Okeechobee Waterway

o   Gulf of Mexico

o   Atlantic Intercostal Waterway (east coast Florida)

o   St. Johns River

Our route: We left Green Cove Springs, Florida (St. Johns River) traveled south on the ICW, crossed Florida via the Okeechobee Waterway, popped out at Ft. Myers, headed south skirting the Florida coast (Gulf of Mexico), docked in Islamorada (Florida Keys) for a couple of months then headed north on the ICW, with the final destination our home port Green Cove Springs.

It was absolutely an amazing adventure. 

The people we encountered and the friendships we made along the way…priceless.

 As we approached the dock at Holland Marine in Green Cove we were excited to see our friends Winnie & Wayne on Blue Max. They had Holland Marine paint their boat and she is beautiful. We are thankful we get to enjoy their company while we are here. Winnie is the Mexican Train Dominos queen.

We also met the new owners of Semper Fi N37, Karen & Richard. Hope to meet the new owners of the GH47 John Henry when they arrive at the end of the month. 

Coming back north so soon is bitter sweet as the weather is still cold. But we are here planning our next big adventure, The Loop. There is lots to do & our excitement continues to build.

God continues to bless us each and everyday. We praise Him.

3/10/14: We threw off the dock lines yesterday and left Daytona Beach, Florida.  A good weather window for the next few days will let us get back to our home dock.

Last night we anchored out about 8NM north of St. Augustine in a secluded area off the ICW. It was a quiet, calm night.

As always God served up an amazing sunset and sunrise for us to enjoy.

Good Morning - Beautiful

Sunset view from the back of Twelve Stones

3/5/14:  We anchored out Sunday night in Daytona Beach, Fl. We had the hatch over the bed open and as usual the stars were breathtaking. Looking at all the stars I thought about the promise God made to Abraham.

"I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous 

as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore." (Genesis 22:17)

I wonder how many times Abraham looked at the sky and said “really as numerous as the stars…wow.” We serve a God that does things in a big way.

When we woke up the weather north of us had taken a turn for the worse so we ducked into a marina. Looks like the first possible chance to leave will be either Saturday or Sunday.

The positive side of this I got to see my sister Linda and her husband Danny. We had a great lunch and great visit. Life is good!